Tag Archives: Avalonia Books

Call for papers for The Bosom of Isis anthology

Avalonia UK has posted a call for papers (and artwork & photography) to The Bosom of Isis, an “anthology exploring the history, myths, worship and resurgence of the goddess Isis” with a deadline for submissions on September 19th, 2014.

“The Bosom of Isis is an anthology exploring the history, myths, worship and resurgence of the goddess Isis. Isis (Aset, Iset) is arguably one of the most important ancient goddesses, honoured by peasants, artisans, pharoahs and aristocrats. Evidence for her worship can be found from the earliest dynasties of Egypt, through her proliferation in Europe during the Greco-Roman period and more recently as part of the resurgence of the Divine Feminine through the Western Mystery Tradition into modern Paganism and Goddess spirituality. Isis was the mother of Horus, the sister-wife of Osiris, the twin sister of Nephthys and daughter of Nuit and Geb. She is a protectress of children, goddess of magic and closely associated with rulership, with the meaning of her name being ‘throne’.”

The Cunning Man’s Handbook

The Cunning Man’s Handbook: The Practice of English Folk Magic 1550-1900 by Jim Baker, forthcoming from Avalonia UK, may be of interest.

Jim Baker The Cunning Man's Handbook from Avalonia UK

“The Cunning Man’s Handbook is a monumental work of phenomenal scope and scholarship, a comprehensive and challenging exploration of the practices and beliefs of Cunning Folk in Britain and America during their heyday from 1550-1900. Exploring the social and theological milieu of the period, the author demonstrates the essentially Christian nature of Cunning practices, and presents an illuminating discourse on the concept of magic and how it was perceived as working.

Operating at the boundaries of the law and society, between medicine and magic, Cunning Men and Women occupied a liminal role as healers, charmers and magicians. Drawing from a huge range of sources, the range of services offered by Cunning Folk is thoroughly expounded, from divination through astrology and geomancy to dream interpretation, from charms, spells and curses to conjurations and treasure hunting. As Jim Baker states, ‘The focus here is on the practice of folk magic and divination for access to the preternatural’.

The evolution of Cunning practices as a living tradition over the three hundred fifty year span is explored in depth, illustrating their practical and contemporary nature. The analogous practices of African-American conjure and root work are also discussed to offer insights into oral fragments of Cunning practices lost to history and present another example of how modernity modifies tradition. Referring to dozens of Cunning Men and Women and their practices, this work offers a unique glimpse into magical history, and the opportunity to reclaim the essence of Cunning Magic.”

Time, Fate & Spider Magic at Atlantis Bookshop on Jun 12th, 2014

There will be a launch party and exhibit of new art [also] by Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule for Time, Fate & Spider Magic: A Brief HIRstory of Time at the Atlantis Bookshop in London on June 12th, 2014.

Time, Fate and Spider Magic at Atlantis Bookshop 2014

“The London launch of Orryelle’s new tome from Avalonia Books, featuring a ritual reading of The Book of the Spider accompanied by music (percussion and strings) and arachnean dance; plus a small 1-night exhibition downstairs of some new original canvases, not yet seen in the northern hemisphere.” [via]

Time, Fate & Spider Magic

Time, Fate & Spider Magic: A Brief HIRstory of Time by Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule, from Avalonia Books, is forthcoming in June, in paperback and a limited hardcover. The limited edition hardcover comes with a DVD “containing edited video of related Metamorphic Ritual Theatre productions and an audio adaptation of the Book of the Spider.”

Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule Time, Fate and Spider Magic from Avalonia Books

“From Greek Chronos and Hindu MahaKala to the feminine mysteries of Fate — from the Moirae to the Hoerae — this mythic HirStory (a union of history and herstory) explores the far reaches of time & its warp in the Web of Wyrd.

Whereas Hawking’s Brief History of Time is a scientific apprehension of the subject, this tome follows Time’s spiralling course through art, verse and magic, bringing us to the eternal present then offering ways to carry the ideas presented into the future through personal application & practical ritual frameworks for using web mandalas to map time onto a spatial plane and explore different potentialities of our mutable destiny.

Included is the Arachnean Grimoire ‘The Book of the Spider’ and commentary.” [via]

Hathor

Hathor: A Reintroduction to an Ancient Egyptian Goddess by Lesley Jackson, due May 21st from Avalonia Books, may be of interest.

Lesley Jackson Hathor from Avalonia Books

“Hathor: A Reintroduction to an Ancient Egyptian Goddess is a comprehensive and thought-provoking study of one of the most important Ancient Egyptian deities. Primarily a Cow Goddess, Hathor was multifaceted, and her importance was emphasised through the many titles and roles she held. She was the goddess of the sky, sun, love, sex, dance, music, fertility, precious metals and gemstones, as well as being Protectress of Foreign Lands, Eye Goddess, Goddess of Desire, Lady of Drunkenness, and Lady of Fragrance. Present in all aspects of life, Hathor was a goddess of childbirth, who protected her worshippers during life and offered protection on the journey into the afterlife.

Daughter of the Sun God Ra, she was linked to other cow goddesses, as well as other major deities such as Isis, Bastet and Horus. She was intimately associated with the lioness goddess Sekhmet, who was both an aspect of Hathor and a significant and powerful goddess in her own right. The Seven Hathors, a seven-fold manifestation of Hathor, predicted the destiny of newborn children and the time and manner of a person’s death and were invoked in love spells and protection charms.

This extensive work provides a welcome and much-needed exploration of one of the most influential goddesses of the ancient world. It explores Hathor’s different roles and titles, her associations with other deities, alter-egos and assimilations, her temples, worship, festivals and her subsequent decline in popularity towards the end of the Greco-Roman period.

Author Lesley Jackson draws on a wide range of historical sources, including magical papyri, stelae, statues, jewellery, ritual objects and archaeological evidence, employing these to reveal the captivating history and numerous functions of this mesmerizing goddess. In doing so, she succeeds in reintroducing Hathor to us as a sovereign, powerful, beautiful and lovely goddess, she ‘whose ba is powerful‘.” [via]

Living Theurgy

Living Theurgy: A Course in Iamblichus’ Philosophy, Theology and Theurgy by Jeffrey S Kupperman, from Avalonia Books, may be of interest.

Jeffrey S Kupperman Living Theurgy from Avalonia

“Living Theurgy is a masterpiece combining scholarly excellence with lucid practicality. Theurgy (‘god-working’) is a combination of ritual mystical practices interwoven with philosophy and theology. It was developed by Iamblichus and other Neoplatonists inspired by the works of philosophers including Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras, and Julian the Chaldean.

Author and scholar Jeffrey Kupperman elucidates and makes accessible the core ideologies and practices of Theurgy, which evolved through more than 1000 years of Platonic philosophy and cultural transformations. Kupperman guides the reader through the contemplative and theurgical practices used by the Neoplatonists to create effective spiritual transformation in the practitioner.

Philosophia (Philosophy) as the foundation of Theurgy is explored through techniques such as lectio divina (‘divine reading’) contemplation and visualisation. It focuses on discussion of key concepts including virtue, wisdom, bravery, temperance, justice, evil, political philosophy, beauty and love.

Theologia (Theology) considers the One, also known as the Good, which is the source of all, through the spectrum of monotheism, polytheism and panentheism. It also explores different views regarding the nature and functions of the Demiurge, angels and daimons, and the human soul, and the practices of Theurgy, including the use of hymns and prayers.

Theourgia (Theurgy) focuses on the practices, from purification and the use of signs, symbols and tokens to talismancy and the ensouling of eikons (divine images). The work concludes with a complete guide to the Invocation of the Personal Daimon, an essential step in the theurgic process of purification and illumination in seeking the Divine.

Living Theurgy is a literary psychopomp for practitioners seeking effective methods of developing their knowledge and relationship with the divine through Neoplatonic praxis. It is essential reading for all those interested in traditional forms of magical, philosophical, and religious practice, and the history of the western mysteries.” [via]

Ameth

Ameth: The Life and Times of Doreen Valiente by Jonathan Tapsell, forthcoming from Avalonia Books, may be of interest.

Jonathan Tapsell Ameth from Avalonia Books

This study of the life of the Witch, Priestess and Author Doreen Valiente, who is sometimes named as the ‘Mother of Modern Pagan Witchcraft’ presents a wonderful collection of information and insights into her life and work. ‘AMETH’ was Doreen Valiente’s witch name, the author talks about this in the book writing that during Doreen’s initiation as a Witch by Gerald Gardner, she was given the name:

‘At this rite Gardner and Dafo gave their new initiate a secret Witch-name known only to those within the Craft. Doreen was from then on to be known as — Ameth. Gardner is likely to have said these words taken from his own Book of Shadows: “Hear, ye Mighty Ones, (Ameth) hath been consecrated Priestess and Witch of the Gods.” before asking the Gods to depart. Ameth true to her secret oaths of the Old Religion would neither disclose to either her husband or mother that she was now a fully-fledged Witch.’

‘As the ceremony progressed the newly initiated Witch, Doreen, would have been anointed, given wine from a chalice, gently scourged for purification and eventually untied and the blindfold taken away. At its conclusion she would have been presented with an athame (a witch’s knife), a wand to invoke spirits, a white handled knife, a scourge and a censor for incense. Another magical artefact, belonging to the Witch, was the cords used to bind her during the ceremony. One cord measured nine feet long and was to be used to make magical circles and another cord was used for spells. She was now a member of the coven and only another two degrees stood between her and the title of High Priestess in the art magical.’

Dionysos

Dionysos: Exciter to Frenzy by Vikki Bramshaw, from Avalonia UK, may be of interest. This volume was due to release in December but appears to still be in pre-order, both via the Avalonia site and through Amazon.

Vikki Bramshaw Dionysos from Avalonia

“Dionysos: Exciter to Frenzy is a phenomenal and scholarly exploration of one of the most complex, liminal and paradoxical gods of the ancient world. The author Vikki Bramshaw guides the reader through the mysterious world of the multifaceted Dionysos, revealing his hidden faces and forms and his presence in different cultures, the growth cycles of nature, the establishment of theatre and the ancient Greek calendar.

The roots of the wine god Dionysos, like his vines, spread throughout the ancient world. From the Cretan Zagreus, to the Thracian Sabazios and the Egyptian Iachen, his stories permeated the myths and traditions of both the untamed wilderness and the culture of cities such as Athens. Joined by slaves and rulers, wild flesh-ripping Maenads and vegetarian Orphics, wine-makers and hunters, the thrice-born Dionysos danced his way through the challenges of rebirth and initiation, with the liberating ecstasy of trance and possession.

The god Dionysos unites opposites, he is many-formed, dying yet eternal, chthonian and heavenly. His ancient myths, mystical symbols, pagan rites and incarnations represent a uniquely detailed and relevant perspective of the transformation he brings through prophecy and personal liberation which is still relevant today.” [via]

Dragon Bones

Dragon Bones: Ritual, Myth and Oracle in Shang Period China by Jan Fries, from Avalonia UK, is a new release that may be of interest.

Jan Fries Dragon Bones from Avalonia Books

“Dragon Bones is a masterly and insightful exploration of ritual, myth and oracles in Shang Period China (16th-11th century BCE). Combining wide-ranging scholarship with pragmatic practicality, the author shines a light on one of the most obscure and least-known areas of ritual practice in the ancient world, demonstrating its value and connection to the development of magical practices in China over a period of many centuries.

Combining historical accounts, myths, practical meditation and the oracle bone inscriptions themselves, Dragon Bones elucidates an arcane system of divination and offers its wisdom to the modern world. To provide a relevant context for the dragon bone oracle, the reader is guided through a wealth of material by Chinese philosophers including Kongzi (Confucius) and Laozi, exploring philosophies such as Daoism and its cosmology.

The offerings, sacrifices and rituals which form the mystical matrix from which Chinese magic developed are considered with an elegant perspective which explores both the practices and their use and relevance, considering their development from early shamanic practices into more stylised forms of social and cultural ceremonies which contributed to the evolution of formal rites to serve communities.

As well as its detailed discussion of the historical and mythical figures, gods, spirits, ancestors, mountains, rivers, animals, types of weather and implements which provide the context and provenance of the development of the dragon bone oracle, Dragon Bones includes a dictionary of over three thousand inscriptions, the most comprehensive of its kind created. As the earliest recorded Chinese texts, the dragon bones reveal unique glimpses of a period where history and myth merge, shaped by philosophy, political power and magic, and whose lessons are as relevant today as they have ever been.” [via]

The Faerie Queens

The Faerie Queens, edited by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine, is due Jul 23rd and is available for pre-order from Avalonia Books.

Sorita d'Este and David Rankine's The Faerie Queens from Avalonia Books

“This project edited by Sorita d’Este with David Rankine, contains a collection of essays from Aili Mirage, Ceri Norman, Cliff Seruntine, Dan Harms, David Rankine, Dorothy Abrams, Emily Carding, Felicity Fyr le Fay, Frances Billinghurst, Halo Quin, Helena Lundvik, Jack Wolf, Joanna Rowan Mullane, Katie Stewart, Pamela Norrie, Sorita d’Este, Thea Faye, Valerie Karlson.

Powerful, mysterious, otherworldly, the Faerie Queens have spread their magic across Europe for many centuries, enchanting all who encounter them. From forests and lakes, mounds and mountains, the Faerie Queens emerge from the liminal places to bestow their numerous gifts (and curses) on man. Lover, shapeshifter, sorceress, prophetess, bestower of sovereignty, semi-divine ancestress, protectress of animals, collector of souls – the powers and roles of the Faerie Queens are as diverse as the folklore about them, their origins rooted deep in the legends, goddesses and beings of the ancient world.

Exploring the tales of many of the mysterious and captivating Faerie Queens, this exceptional anthology contains eighteen essays exploring the diverse accounts and themes associated with the Faerie Queens and their influence in magic, literature and folklore. From the Arthurian mythos to Scandinavia, from ancient Greece to Renaissance poetry and beyond, the awesome power of the Faerie Queens to inspire, challenge and transform is investigated and discussed from both scholarly and personal perspectives.”